


[ fly, my angel, may you always take flight ]

by stains_of_ink



Category: Miyazaki - Fandom, On Your Mark - Chage & Aska (Music Video), Studio Ghibli - Fandom
Genre: Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe - Cyberpunk, Alternate Universe - Future, Heist, Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-27
Updated: 2020-03-27
Packaged: 2021-03-01 07:35:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,018
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23347786
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stains_of_ink/pseuds/stains_of_ink
Summary: ORIGINAL WORK.**Inspired by the Studio Ghibli Music Video "On Your Mark"There’s a deep haze on the horizon as the two men rouse from sleep. The city itself is already — no, scratch that — always awake, squirming and shifting in ways that only their city can, all strobe lights and sharp sound and buzzing runways carved nail-thin. Their webbing rips the buildings to shreds, arcing around cold glass and sleek metal in varying arrays of dizziness.Like a space-torn spiderweb,thinks Roy. A human-made escapade, with all the proper fixings to match.





	[ fly, my angel, may you always take flight ]

[ PART 1 ]

There’s a deep haze on the horizon as the two men rouse from sleep. The city itself is already — no, scratch that — always awake, squirming and shifting in ways that only their city can, all strobe lights and sharp sound and buzzing runways carved nail-thin. Their webbing rips the buildings to shreds, arcing around cold glass and sleek metal in varying arrays of dizziness.  
_Like a space-torn spiderweb, _thinks Roy. A human-made escapade, with all the proper fixings to match.__

____

As the world rights itself he clutches the receiver tighter, desperately hoping that the Alfa Romeo won’t get caught on its returning flight. The last thing they need is a costly hold-up, especially not with the money they were to earn tonight.

____

“They better pay us well,” comes Boro’s voice from the right. His hair slips into his eyes as he fastens his mask, and Roy suppresses a sigh. Always the one to look handsome, while anger splits the night.

____

“Are you ready?” It only takes one click before the Romeo shoots away, nearly ejecting him from his seat in the process. But Boro is laughing all the while, those sharp black glasses of his clashing horribly with the white sailor’s hat. Still, it’s all fun and games until they enter the city itself, the night rich with the sharpness of smoke and shots. Soon enough, just as Boro turns the corner, one of the strobe alarms goes off.

____

“That’s our cue,” Boro nods, and guides the Romeo along the thinning railway. It takes a while before they reach the city’s top, but no worries — all the while the red light is flashing, a purposeful reminder of another failed escapade. 

____

“It’s the labs”, says Boro, as if the smoke and guards aren’t an absolutely telling factor. Silently he parks the car along the motorway, its hood hidden under the buildings’ shade. They don’t always have long to wait, but it’s better to have everyone clear out than to barge in and cause a ruckus. Roy always thought they could save more people that way, no matter how much Boro hated to wait.

____

“Want anything?” His tone is light. Next to him, Boro’s finger slips —- he knowingly finds the tip of a cig and lights it. A blush of smoke fills the air, but the amount of city lights is enough to give it a bluish tint. Sighing sharply, Roy gives his mask another twist. His friend is nervous and he knows it.

____

Unsurprisingly, the lab is devoid of all life and blasted to bits. No matter what one has against the city’s guards, it’s well known that they clean up well —- whether that’s arrests of bombings or other unscrupulous charges. Tonight, as they sift through the splintered bottle and all that glass, proves no exception.

____

Blue seeps from beneath his shoes and he lets out a low hiss. Roy is quietly making his way up ahead, sifting through broken glass and lifting tables to make sure there’s nothing amiss. Raids like these always leave goods of some kind, yet the last thing they want to ignore is a trapped body or some injured kid.

____

“Checked that corner yet?” Boro works methodically yet shakily, which is usually a sign that something’s amiss. Roy watches the way his legs shake, the way he shuffles through things with reckless abandon. He shakes his head no in a quick affirmation. Wordlessly they attack the last corner, breaths shallow and flighty against their lips.

____

____

[ PART 2 ]

____

It’s only when they go through the concrete slabs that Roy sees it —- the shock of matted silver, its length and thickness unmistakably screaming hair. Gasping, he falls to his knees and begins to dig, ignoring Boro’s tense “What?” beside him. All too soon his friend is kneeling with him, masterfully ripping through the mix. The mask is stifling and Roy struggles to take breaths. What if it’s a- a real person? What if they’re no longer alive? —- No, no, he can’t think. Almost desperately, he rams his hands into the rubble and keeps digging. No no no, this can’t be. He slots his lips against the curve of his mask and slurps in another breath.

____

Finally, finally, he can see it — the curve of an arm, the tip of the face, the slight coating of ash along the nose. We’ve uncovered all of him, Roy thinks, up until Boro brushes against the tip of a scarred feather. Slowly he leans forward, peering a little closer, and discovers a whole wing squashed against those narrow shoulders. Together they manage to sift through the crush of feathers until Boro is able to lift the boy out, wings and all. Checking once more to see if the coast is clear, he makes his way down the ruins of the laboratory, skidding past bits of glass and slick floors as he goes. 

____

Boro’s fingers are shaking. It takes him twice to turn on the receiver, and even then it doesn’t go easy, with him spitting and cursing all the way. But soon enough the Romeo revs to life, tucked in the shade right where they left it. Hurriedly they jump in, tangling smoke and pain with limbs; yet they’re careful with the boy all the same. He guns the engine as Boro yanks the child out of sight; despite the detours, they will still see the guards, and it wouldn’t do well if they whisked an angel out of sight.

____

So he’s really an angel, Roy thinks. I hope —- I really do hope, that he’s alright.

____

Suddenly, the Romeo skids and the road slips out of sight. Startled, he rams cold palms into the wheel and yanks the car around; the road pops back into sight. Shooting Boro an apologetic glance, he steers forward again, this time keeping an eye on all those bubbling lights. They spread almost in time to the car’s turns, as if wanting to help hide them from prying eyes.

____

And so they drive, away from the smoke and the buildings and the light; away from the pain and the cold and the night.

____

**Author's Note:**

> I'm still trying to figure out all this html formatting so please bear with me!!  
> Thanks for reading :))


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